RED DEER, Alta. — Heather Nedohin’s performance at the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts will be remembered for a lot of things.
Those wonderful facial gestures. The broom-pumps. One memorable, and hilarious, nationally televised potty-mouth curse word.
But history should record that Nedohin’s 7-6 victory over B.C.’s Kelly Scott on Sunday afternoon at the Enmax Centrium was best summed up this way: the week’s best clutch shotmaker won. And in the end, that’s the way it should be.
After 12 years of trying to get back to the Canadian women’s curling championship, the 36-year-old Edmonton skip made it worth the wait by claiming her second national title with a display of poise and leadership that, in the end, played the biggest roles in earning her team (third Beth Iskiw, second Jessica Mair, lead Laine Peters, alternate Amy Nixon and coach Darryl Horne) the right to wear the Maple Leaf at the world women’s championship, beginning March 17 in Lethbridge, Alta.
“Every time we needed a shot, she was right there,” said Peters. “She was outstanding.”
Quite rightly, Nedohin was named the Sandra Schmirler Most Valuable Player for her playoff performance here, in which she guided her team to three victories — most memorably, the extra-end triumph over Manitoba’s Jennifer Jones in Saturday’s semifinal, a game that was decided by mere millimetres on a last-shot measurement.
Sunday’s game lacked that drama, as it was clear early on that B.C. was not on top of its game. Alberta forced Scott to draw for one in the first looking at a pair, and then put single points on the board in the next three ends, the last of them a crushing blow when Scott’s last-rock takeout attempt to score one caught debris.
Scott’s team from Kelowna — third Sasha Carter, second Dailene Sivertson, lead Jacquie Armstrong, fought back to tie it with two in the fifth end, but Alberta put the game out of reach when Nedohin made a nose-hit to score three.
“I just never got a feel for draw weight. And I think we were just all over-thinking things,” said Carter, who was scored at 69 per cent compared to Iskiw’s blazing 93. “I won’t use the cliche that we were just on the wrong side of the inch. We were more than the wrong side of the inch. It was a few inches that we were off today.”
In the end, it was left to Nedohin to make an open takeout for the victory in the 10th end to set off a wild celebration in the crowd of 5,900.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Iskiw. “We just kept riding the wave and the momentum and I was hoping it would never stop, because it feels pretty good.”
Among the pro-Alberta crowd was Nedohin’s husband, three-time world men’s champion Dave Nedohin, and the raw emotion on his face painted the picture of someone who got just as great a thrill out of watching his wife’s victory as he did from his own team’s wins.
“It was crazy,” said Dave, as daughters Halle and Alyssa celebrated nearby. “They played completely fearless. It was really hard watching, but they made all the shots. They were the best team here this week. Nothing fazed them. Nothing.”
For Heather, it was her second major triumph in Red Deer. She won the 1996 world junior title here, and two years later, she won the Scotties throwing third rocks for Cathy King, going on to claim a bronze medal at the world championship in Kamloops, B.C.
But the ensuing 12 years after her 2000 Scotties appearance produced just two provincial runner-up finishes and plenty of questions.
“You know what? It’s worth the wait,” she said, after lifting up Alyssa for an emotional hug. “There are definitely times when you question what you’re doing as an athlete and as a mom. I couldn’t be happier right now, and I’m just so glad that my kids were able to see what all the hard work does.”
In addition to the Canadian jackets, Nedohin’s team also picks up $144,000 in Sport Canada funding over two years, $40,000 from the Own the Podium program for training expenses, and berths in the Canada Cup of Curling next December in Moose Jaw, Sask., the Continental Cup in January in Penticton, B.C., and a trip to the 2013 Scotties 12 months hence in Kingston, Ont.
But for now, the focus turns to the task of giving Canada its first world women’s title since Jones prevailed in 2008 at Vernon, B.C.
“You have to raise your game because others raise their game,” said Nedohin. “But all I can say is that if we continue the way we’re playing right now, we can put ourselves in a great position.”
Extra Ends — Total attendance for the 2012 Scotties was 94,997, the fifth-highest total in event history.
Calgary Herald
acameron@calgaryherald.com
Twitter.com/AllenCameronCH
FORD WORLD WOMEN’S CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD
Here are the skips who will compete at the 2012 world women’s curling championship, March 17 to 25 in Lethbridge.
Canada — Heather Nedohin
United States — Allison Pottinger
Scotland — Eve Muirhead
Sweden — Margaretha Sigfridsson
Switzerland — Mirjam Ott
Denmark — Lene Nielsen
Russia — Anna Sidorova
Germany — Andrea Schoepp
Italy — Diana Gaspari
Czech Republic — Linda Klimova
China — Bingyu Wang
South Korea — Ji-Sun Kim
Those wonderful facial gestures. The broom-pumps. One memorable, and hilarious, nationally televised potty-mouth curse word.
But history should record that Nedohin’s 7-6 victory over B.C.’s Kelly Scott on Sunday afternoon at the Enmax Centrium was best summed up this way: the week’s best clutch shotmaker won. And in the end, that’s the way it should be.
After 12 years of trying to get back to the Canadian women’s curling championship, the 36-year-old Edmonton skip made it worth the wait by claiming her second national title with a display of poise and leadership that, in the end, played the biggest roles in earning her team (third Beth Iskiw, second Jessica Mair, lead Laine Peters, alternate Amy Nixon and coach Darryl Horne) the right to wear the Maple Leaf at the world women’s championship, beginning March 17 in Lethbridge, Alta.
“Every time we needed a shot, she was right there,” said Peters. “She was outstanding.”
Quite rightly, Nedohin was named the Sandra Schmirler Most Valuable Player for her playoff performance here, in which she guided her team to three victories — most memorably, the extra-end triumph over Manitoba’s Jennifer Jones in Saturday’s semifinal, a game that was decided by mere millimetres on a last-shot measurement.
Sunday’s game lacked that drama, as it was clear early on that B.C. was not on top of its game. Alberta forced Scott to draw for one in the first looking at a pair, and then put single points on the board in the next three ends, the last of them a crushing blow when Scott’s last-rock takeout attempt to score one caught debris.
Scott’s team from Kelowna — third Sasha Carter, second Dailene Sivertson, lead Jacquie Armstrong, fought back to tie it with two in the fifth end, but Alberta put the game out of reach when Nedohin made a nose-hit to score three.
“I just never got a feel for draw weight. And I think we were just all over-thinking things,” said Carter, who was scored at 69 per cent compared to Iskiw’s blazing 93. “I won’t use the cliche that we were just on the wrong side of the inch. We were more than the wrong side of the inch. It was a few inches that we were off today.”
In the end, it was left to Nedohin to make an open takeout for the victory in the 10th end to set off a wild celebration in the crowd of 5,900.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Iskiw. “We just kept riding the wave and the momentum and I was hoping it would never stop, because it feels pretty good.”
Among the pro-Alberta crowd was Nedohin’s husband, three-time world men’s champion Dave Nedohin, and the raw emotion on his face painted the picture of someone who got just as great a thrill out of watching his wife’s victory as he did from his own team’s wins.
“It was crazy,” said Dave, as daughters Halle and Alyssa celebrated nearby. “They played completely fearless. It was really hard watching, but they made all the shots. They were the best team here this week. Nothing fazed them. Nothing.”
For Heather, it was her second major triumph in Red Deer. She won the 1996 world junior title here, and two years later, she won the Scotties throwing third rocks for Cathy King, going on to claim a bronze medal at the world championship in Kamloops, B.C.
But the ensuing 12 years after her 2000 Scotties appearance produced just two provincial runner-up finishes and plenty of questions.
“You know what? It’s worth the wait,” she said, after lifting up Alyssa for an emotional hug. “There are definitely times when you question what you’re doing as an athlete and as a mom. I couldn’t be happier right now, and I’m just so glad that my kids were able to see what all the hard work does.”
In addition to the Canadian jackets, Nedohin’s team also picks up $144,000 in Sport Canada funding over two years, $40,000 from the Own the Podium program for training expenses, and berths in the Canada Cup of Curling next December in Moose Jaw, Sask., the Continental Cup in January in Penticton, B.C., and a trip to the 2013 Scotties 12 months hence in Kingston, Ont.
But for now, the focus turns to the task of giving Canada its first world women’s title since Jones prevailed in 2008 at Vernon, B.C.
“You have to raise your game because others raise their game,” said Nedohin. “But all I can say is that if we continue the way we’re playing right now, we can put ourselves in a great position.”
Extra Ends — Total attendance for the 2012 Scotties was 94,997, the fifth-highest total in event history.
Calgary Herald
acameron@calgaryherald.com
Twitter.com/AllenCameronCH
FORD WORLD WOMEN’S CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD
Here are the skips who will compete at the 2012 world women’s curling championship, March 17 to 25 in Lethbridge.
Canada — Heather Nedohin
United States — Allison Pottinger
Scotland — Eve Muirhead
Sweden — Margaretha Sigfridsson
Switzerland — Mirjam Ott
Denmark — Lene Nielsen
Russia — Anna Sidorova
Germany — Andrea Schoepp
Italy — Diana Gaspari
Czech Republic — Linda Klimova
China — Bingyu Wang
South Korea — Ji-Sun Kim
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